Wednesday March 17 – A total of nine persons ranging from civil engineers to electricians with the Public Works Department (PWD) and other Government agencies converged at PWD yesterday to begin two-weeks of training in traffic signals operation.

The participants were excited to gain some of the knowledge of the experienced President of Coordinated Traffic Solutions, Mr. David Booker, who has scheduled a full training session, comprising of many elements that ultimately address traffic signal operations, systems and equipment training and signal timing optimization.

“I expect to be able to troubleshoot the lights for any problems without having to consult other technicians following this training,” Traffic Light Technician with PWD, Mr. Elleson Rhymer told the Department of Information and Public Relations.

Civil Engineer with PWD, Mr. Joshua Silwimba hopes to become more aware of the factors that will affect his work during the design of an intersection, “like being cognizant of visual acuity, glare, depth perception, and forces acting on the vehicle.”

Former Traffic Light Technician Mr. Kye Rymer, said he is using the training course to upgrade his knowledge in the area of traffic solutions.

The training is aimed at introducing various concepts related to traffic signal operations and how they are integrated into existing signal systems in the Territory. The training is scheduled to be completed on Friday, March 26.

Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Julian Fraser, RA in his comments regarding this training explained that given the experience with the traffic signals to date, it was imperative that something be done and done urgently, thus the reason for commissioning Coordinated Traffic Solutions for the purpose.

He further stressed that the citizens and visitors of this Territory should be reassured that this training will ultimately assist Government in providing optimum traffic signal operation that will meet the needs of both motorists and pedestrians.”

The traffic lights were commissioned on August 20, 2009 in an effort to relieve the traffic congestion in the Road Town area and to provide a more pedestrian friendly capital.